Wright, Frank Lloyd 1869-1959

WRIGHT, FRANK LLOYD 1869-1959

Greatest architect of the twentieth century

Trailblazer

A trailblazer in modern American architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright left a legacy of more than seven hundred buildings that spanned more than half a century, from the Robie House in Chicago (1904) to the Guggenheim Museum in New York City (1959). Already elderly when the 1950s began, Wright continued to be active, designing provocative, exuberant masterpieces until his death.

Always an Architect

From the beginning Anna Wright, a Wisconsin schoolteacher, wanted her son to become an architect. Since the University of Wisconsin offered no courses in architecture, he enrolled as a civil engineer in 1884 but left the university without graduating and went to Chicago in 1887, when many of his early designs were completed. He called himself a farm boy, and in 1900 Wright designed the first of his famous "prairie houses" (a low, ground-hugging type of bungalow ideally suited to the Midwest), for which there was no precedent.

Organic Approach

Wright believed a building's form was derived from nature and should harmonize with it. Although he had no single architectural style, his work was characterized by broad lines, stark surfaces, curves, and natural materials. He was famous for the organic growth of his houses from interior to exterior, for blending the houses with their natural surroundings, and for using various building materials according to their inherent characteristics. His focus on curves intensified during the 1950s, culminating in the Guggenheim Museum in New York City in 1959. This concrete structure has the form of a spiral ramp to provide continuous gallery space. Wright originated many design concepts that are reflected in modern houses, including the "open" plan, builtin furniture, radiant floor heating, and "indoor-outdoor integration" accomplished by glass walls and corners.

Other Undertakings

Wright's architectural style was wholly American, but his most famous international work is probably the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo (1915-1922). His training as an engineer helped enormously because the vast structure had to be made to withstand earthquakes. The problem was solved through a unique use of concrete-supported cantilevered floors and a foundation floating on a cushion of soft mud. The hotel survived the major earthquake of 1923 without damage. Wright was also famous for his many "Usonian" homes—Wright's name for an ideal, democratic America. These houses were medium-sized and medium-priced. One of his most beautiful houses is Falling Water in Bear Run, Pennsylvania, cantilevered over a waterfall.

Gold Medal

Wright received countless awards over his long lifetime, but perhaps the most significant was the Gold Medal Award of the National Institute of Arts and Letters, which he received in 1953. His vision of freedom and spaciousness in homes and buildings truly liberated twentienth-century architecture.